Tornadoes pummeled the Midwest last night, while storms brought heavy rain and floods to much of the region.

Authorities adding up the damage confirmed that at least 12 people were injured - though nobody is thought to have died as a result of the extreme weather, which swept into Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Nebraska on Wednesday.

Around Oklahoma City, twisters descended and destroyed homes in the Grady County area. Meteorologists are still working out exactly how many tornadoes came with the spring storms, with as many as a dozen suspected to have hit.

The storm flipped vehicles on Interstate 35 and left power lines strewn across the roadway. Officials twice evacuated the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, sending passengers and staff into a tunnel outside the security zone.

Before sunrise Thursday in northeast Oklahoma City, fire department divers worked for hours to rescue a motorist who was trapped in a car by the high waters left in the wake of the storms. The female driver used her cellphone to call for help from inside the car, police Capt. Dee Patty said. A flash flood warning was in effect for the area through 9am.

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Storm: The storm was among at least 20 separate instances of tornadoes to have been spotted across the Midwest, it is reported. Above, a tornado passes near homes in Halstead, Kansas on Wednesday. A swath of the Great Plainswas under a tornado watch throughout the day

Take cover: Pictured above are storm clouds in Newcastle, Oklahoma

Waters: Parts of Oklahoma were hit by flash flooding - such as the road pictured above in Norman, a suburb of Oklahoma City

Worth a try: Pictured above is a storm shelter in an Oklahoma City back yard that was upended by the heavy rains

The National Weather Service said 5 to 8 inches of rain fell in the area, said Forrest Mitchell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. A measurement of 7.1 inches at the Oklahoma City airport set a new daily rainfall record, he said, topping the previous record of 2.61 inches.

Oklahoma City spokeswoman Kristy Yager said the rainfall prompted the city to issue a flash flood emergency for the first time in its history.

The bad weather also brought with it the terrifying prospect of a rampage of savage animals after a safari center near Oklahoma City was struck by a tornado.

Officials feared that tigers, lions, grizzly bears and pythons from Tiger Safari in the town of Tuttle could have busted out of their enclosures and swept towards people's homes.

However, the fears soon proved to be unfounded as officials at the park confirmed that all the animals were accounted for.

In a tweet, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office declared: 'If you know anyone who lives in Tuttle, there's a possibility that tigers are on the loose.'

However, park officials later told KFOR that bears were the only animals to have escaped from their enclosures following the powerful tornado.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the wildlife refuge, which houses around 170 animals and is situated 25 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, Tiger Safari's owner, Bill Meadows, a firefighter who was reportedly on call when the storm struck, rushed straight back to the park.

Tiger fears: Panic erupted when it was thought that tigers and bears could have escaped their enclosures at a wildlife park in Tuttle, Oklahoma. Pictured above is Bill Meadows, the owner to Tiger Safari, who rushed back to help

Accounted for: Safari officials confirmed that all animals were safe in their housings after the tornado Wednesday night. Pictured above is one of the park's bears

Escape: The escape at Tiger Safari in Tuttle lasted around half an hour and none of the animals were injured. Above, another bear at the park

Unusual warning: Oklahom County Sheriff tweeted: 'If you know anyone who lives in Tuttle, there's a possibility that tigers are on the loose'

Rescued: It later added: 'The tigers are contained!' before using the hashtag #Tigernado, which was employed by hundreds of Twitter users

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In addition to wreaking havoc at the wildlife park, the tornado also flipped cars and causing severe flooding in the region. Rush hour drivers were forced to battle treacherous conditions, while school officials held students in safe rooms until the danger had passed. However, no injuries were reported.

The Storm Prediction Center had warned that bad weather would come to Tornado Alley prior to last night's chaos. But although the twister damaged homes at Bridge Creek and Blanchard, southwest of Oklahoma City, yesterday's storms were far weaker than nature's worst.

Forecasters have warned that more storms could hit later in the week.

'People just really need to stay weather aware, have a plan and understand that severe storms are possible across portions of the southern Plains almost daily through Saturday,' National Weather Service meteorologist Jonathan Kurtz said yesterday.

Dangerous forecast: The Storm Prediction Center had warned that severe storms could hit much of Tornado Alley on Wednesday

Aid: The driver of a pickup truck which crashed in severe weather on Interstate 35 gestures to his rescuers after being cut from the truck in Moore, Oklahoma, on Wednesday

Rescue: First responders take a passenger of a truck involved in an accident on Interstate 35 during severe weather to an ambulance, in Moore

Help: First responders work to free a passenger from a truck involved in an accident on Interstate 35 during severe weather in Moore

Threat: A severe thunderstorm spawns a funnel four miles south of Carrier and north of U.S. 412 northwest of Enid, Oklahoma, on Wednesday

Ruined: Charmaine Foraker looks out over the farmhouse she grew up in at her family's farmstead near Bentley, Kansas, that was destroyed by a tornado on Wednesday

Family: Foraker is hugged by her son Harlan, as she and her other son Craig Foracker, second from left, arrive at the scene of the family farmstead

Inspection: Neighbors of Craig Foraker check out his property after a tornado devastated the area near Bentley, Kansas

In Oklahoma on Wednesday, Grady County Emergency Management Director Dale Thompson said about 10 homes were destroyed in Amber and 25 were destroyed in Bridge Creek.

As the storm moved to the east, forecasters declared a tornado emergency for Moore, where seven schoolchildren were among 24 people killed in a storm two years ago.

Wednesday's storms didn't appear to have been nearly as strong.

Ten to 15 homes were damaged at Roseland, Nebraska, near Grand Island, and between Hardy and Ruskin, near the Kansas line.

According to the news outlet, there was someone injured in Burr Oak, Kansas, and three people were left injured following a community center's roof collapsing in Cherry Creek, South Dakota.

RNN reported that a tornado hit not far from Chickasha, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, as well.

Shut down: I-35 southbound was left closed behind the accident on Wednesday in Moore

Struggle: A vehicle makes its way through deep water following heavy rain in Moore. Forecasters declared a tornado emergency for the town

Concern: Twisters were also reported north of Wichita, Kansas, and along the Kansas-Nebraska border

Debris: Wreckage is seen from a tornado that struck on Wednesday

At least nine tornadoes were reported in Kansas, the strongest of them in the sparsely populated north-central part of the state.

That included a large tornado near the tiny town of Republic just south of the Nebraska state line, where some homes were damaged.

In Harvey County, a tornado destroyed a hog barn and damaged trees, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornado sirens blared across southwestern Oklahoma as a supercell thunderstorm rolled closer to the capital. By rush hour, it was bearing down on Oklahoma City's southern suburbs.

School districts held their pupils in safe places and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management opened its operations center in anticipation of aid requests, though none came in immediately, spokeswoman Keli Cain said.